IRS Archives

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Friday, January 4, 2019.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released its final report on the 2018 filing season just before the federal government shutdown. As of May 4, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received over 140 million tax returns, 89% of which were e-filed. The IRS issued over 101 million refunds in 2018, totaling nearly $282 billion.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Thursday, December 27, 2018.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently posted its contingency plan for managing operations during the federal government shutdown, which includes reducing its available workforce for IRS functions by over 87 percent. Employees may be kept on for half a day to ensure an orderly close-down of operations. After the half-day period, most IRS activities will cease, including the issuing of refunds, processing amended returns, responding to taxpayer phone calls, and providing legal counsel. All audit functions will also stop during the shutdown period.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently released its semi-annual report to Congress on federal tax administration for the period from April 1 through September 30, 2018. A major highlight during this period was TIGTA's success protecting taxpayers from IRS impersonation scams: As of the end of the reporting period, 130 individuals have been charged for their roles in a massive phone scam involving multiple India-based call centers. Twenty-one of those individuals have been sentenced to prison sentences of up to 20 years each, and all are jointly and severally liable for over $8.9 million in restitution.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Monday, November 19, 2018.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the annual inflation adjustments for tax rate schedules and other tax provisions for 2019. Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, there are important changes to review concerning the standard deduction, rate tiers, minimum essential health coverage penalty, and other items. For the detailed announcement, click here.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Friday, November 2, 2018.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued additional guidance for taxpayers regarding how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will affect filing your 2018 tax returns. The website www.IRS.gov/getready provides information and advice for individuals and families, such as an updated IRS Withholding Calculator, details about refunds, and the new Form 1040.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS's) 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) officially ends on Friday, September 28, 2018. This program was offered to help taxpayers get into compliance with their foreign account reporting requirements. The end of the OVDP does not mean the IRS is less interested in offshore compliance --- to the contrary, "The IRS remains actively engaged in ferreting out the identities of those with undisclosed foreign accounts with the use of information resources and increased data analytics," said Don Fort, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation, in the IRS' initial announcement about the program's end. "Stopping offshore tax noncompliance remains a top priority of the IRS."

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Tuesday, September 25, 2018.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently audited the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS's) SS-8 Program, which addresses worker classification issues. The standard options have been either employee or independent contractor. However, in recent years, classification has become more complicated with the emergence of the "gig economy," defined by its reliance on short-term contracts and freelance work.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Friday, September 21, 2018.

If you regularly claim deductions for donations, you may need to update your tax record keeping practices --- the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations this summer concerning the correct way to substantiate any charitable contributions you wish to deduct. Under Section 170(f)(8), for contributions of $250 or more, the recipient organization should provide you a receipt at the time of the contribution that shows:

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Thursday, September 20, 2018.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently reviewed the Internal Revenue Serivce's (IRS's) program on Collection Due Process requests, and found it to have similar room for improvement as compared to TIGTA's last review. For instance, the program could be more accurate in classifying requests and providing the correct type of hearing to taxpayers. The IRS also needs to improve how it handles taxpayer requests initially sent to the wrong location, as well as how it calculates statute expiration dates. For more information on the results of this review, click here.

By Betty Williams of Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. posted in IRS on Monday, September 10, 2018.

The Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently conducted an audit of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)'s latest private debt collection program and found much room for improvement. As of May 31, 2018, the private debt collection program had netted $1.3 million, but the private agencies have collected only 1 percent of the $4.1 billion assigned to the program. For reference, the industry average for 2016 was 9.9 percent.